Naturalization Ceremony for Approximately 200 New Citizens to Highlight “Immigration, Citizenship and Belonging: Two Days of Discussion, Debate and Celebration” at UMass Amherst April 3-4

Approximately 200 people will become United States citizens at a naturalization ceremony that will serve as the centerpiece of two days of performances and events April 3-4 as the University of Massachusetts Amherst hosts “Immigration, Citizenship and Belonging: Two Days of Discussion, Debate and Celebration.” U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, State Rep. Mindy Domb, UMass President Marty Meehan and UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy will be on hand to witness the new citizens take the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance in Bowker Auditorium at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4.

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Following the ceremony, the university will present the “Our Immigrant Voices Project Exhibition at the Building Bridges Showcase,” at the Bromery Center for the Arts, and at 7:30 p.m. Felipe Salles, UMass professor of jazz & African American music studies, and his jazz ensemble will perform “The New Immigrant Experience: Music Inspired by Conversations with Dreamers” in Bowker Auditorium. The concert-length multimedia musical performance highlights interviews and footage of “Dreamers” – undocumented immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.

The two-day event kicks off on Monday, April 3, with a full slate of author talks, discussions and exhibitions.

At 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Suketu Mehta, associate professor of journalism at New York University, will present “The Global War of Storytelling: How Can We Tell Better Stories?” at the Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall. Mehta will then participate in a group discussion of his award-winning book, “This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto,” at the Events Hall at 2 p.m.

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A panel discussion on immigration and citizenship, featuring a line-up of faculty members from the UMass Amherst College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, follows at 4 p.m. Lynnette Arnold, assistant professor of anthropology, Tania DoCarmo, lecturer of legal studies, Ina Ganguli, associate professor of economics and Raz Sibii, lecturer of journalism, will discuss their research and writing on topics such as immigration myths, family and migration and the criminalization of migration. They will also discuss how their research informs current policy debates on immigration and what they see as the biggest challenges facing the U.S. immigration system. A Q&A with audience members will follow.

The day culminates at the South College Commons with the “Fotodiásporas Exhibition – Lights and Shadows on the Path to Reparation: Colombians’ Experiences of Forced Migration to the U.S.” at 5:30 p.m. The Fotodiásporas project seeks to broaden understanding of forced cross-border migration due to the Colombian armed conflict, the longest in the Americas, through the eyes and voices of 15 Colombian men and women who were forced to leave the country and start a new life in the U.S.

The complete schedule of events – all of which are free, open to the public and require no advance registration – and information about their participants can be found at https://sites.google.com/umass.edu/belonging/.

“Immigration, Citizenship and Belonging: Two Days of Discussion, Debate and Celebration” is sponsored by the UMass Amherst Office of the Chancellor, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, Commonwealth Honors College, Office of Equity and Inclusion, International Programs Office, Fine Arts Center, Department of History, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Translation Center and Department of Music and Dance.

Partners in presenting the event include the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), UMass Amherst University Relations, Partnership for Worker Education, and the Office of Human Resources and Office of Civic Engagement and Service-Learning.